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Failed Republican state comptroller candidate, J. Christopher Callaghan, who has well-known prediliction for limericks, has offered oneÂ in honor ofÂ his erstwhile opponent in a post-election e-mail to his supporters and the media:

Â In Alan’s victory address

Again, he did humbly confess.

Though he’d hid, un-respected,

He emerged re-elected

On this promise: “Next time I’ll steal less.”

Callaghan goes on to call the campaign “a hell of a ride” and to rib the staffer loaned to his campaign by the state GOP, Marcus Povinelli, aboutÂ the damage he did toÂ the clutch of Callaghan’s ’99 Honda Civic – a vehicle that was a point of pride for the former Saratoga County treasurer.

Callaghan called the anonymous tipster who provided him with the leak that led to “chauffeurgate” “the major hero of this campaign.” He also called Hevesi’s fraud hotline “the perfect thing for passing on an allegation that we believed, but couldn’t prove.”

With the election now behind him, Callaghan seems to come to terms with his defeat.

“Some have suggested that we won a moral victory but no political campaign should be content with dignified defeat,” Callaghan wrote. “We lost. Nevertheless, we ran an honorable race and I’ll have no problem looking at myself in the mirror when next I tie a bow tie.”

“On to the next thing, whatever it is, and let’s do it well.”

When I read this statement, which is downright funny in spots (although it misspells Democratic U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer’s name), I can’t help but think: If only Callaghan could have projected this personality on the campaign trail and, more importantly, on TV during his one debate with Hevesi, his campaign might have been much more successful.

Callaghan doesÂ deserveÂ credit for landing the nomination in the first place, which, much like GOP gubernatorial candidate JohnÂ Faso, he didÂ by building upÂ grassroots support. The party leadership was initially against him and pushing Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, who ended up as Faso’s LG running mate. Â

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